Knicks vs. Pacers: Three takeaways from Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, left, guard Miles McBride, guard Josh Hart, right, guard Delon Wright (0) and guard Landry Shamet gather during the second half of Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Fiinals against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday in Indianapolis. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
The Knicks combined what has become familiar — a comeback from a 20-point deficit — with the strange, a starting lineup shift and an assortment of lineups that Tom Thibodeau had never rolled out the entire season. But in the end, it worked. They managed to pull out a 106-100 win over the Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals to close the gap to two games to one, with a chance to even the series Tuesday. They are 6-1 on the road in the playoffs — including three comebacks from 20-point deficits — and 3-5 at home.
1. Ya gotta have Hart — just not in the starting lineup
Aside from injury issues, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau had used the same starting lineup for every game up until Sunday night. It apparently was a decision that came not just with the approval of Josh Hart but was his suggestion. It worked as the Knicks started well enough and he then played the entire fourth quarter and came up with a series of huge rebounds and free throws.
“This was a conversation that we had, that I’ve had before,” Hart said. “Actually I mentioned, I talked to a couple of people about it before Game 6 [against Boston] . . . But it was something that I’ve had in the back of my mind and I’ve always been wiling to do. Down two [games], especially with how [Mitchell Robinson] played last game, that was something that we had to do.
“And obviously that’s a group decision that really boils down to Thibs and myself. For me it wasn’t a tough day. It was funny, everyone was saying things to me, guys were texting me on other teams. I’m like, I don’t care. I don’t care if I start. I don’t care if I play 20 minutes. If we win, we win . . . Whoever won the championship five years ago, you have no idea who the starters are. You know that those guys won and they have that camaraderie and that connection for life. It doesn’t matter how many points you score, it doesn’t matter how many minutes you play. It doesn’t matter if you start. It depends on if you win, and at the end of the day that’s the most important thing for me.”
2. Welcome back, KAT
Karl-Anthony Towns had spent much of the fourth quarter on the bench in Game 2, and for three quarters Sunday, it seemed as if maybe he should be back there, struggling with foul trouble and having scored only four points. But he scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and propelled the Knicks back in front, erasing a 10-point deficit to start the period.
“Just teammates put me in great spots to succeed and I wanted to just capitalize on the opportunity,” Towns said. “And just all of us, we were just doing what it takes to win and putting ourselves in position to get back in the game and put ourselves in position at the end of the game where we could find ourselves with a chance to win. Shout-out to the locker room. Finding a way.”
3. Maybe Thibodeau is not stuck in his ways
Thibodeau often is criticized for sticking to his guns, but he not only changed the starting lineup but utilized eight five-man combinations that he had not used once this season, getting big minutes from Delon Wright and Landry Shamet.
“Every day they come in and put in the work,” said Deuce McBride, whose foul trouble — three fouls in 82 seconds in the first quarter — opened the opportunities. “Just the leadership they have off the court, leading by example, and also talking to us when they're not playing. It's a testimony to their character and the way they approach the game. That's the reason they've stuck around for so long.”
“Whatever gives your team the best chance to win,” Thibodeau said. “You guys always — I know you try to put everything into a box. I don’t work that way. People think I want a low-scoring game. No, I just want one more point than they have. I don’t care if it’s low-scoring, high-scoring, medium-scoring. I just wanna win. That’s the bottom line. Whatever gives us the best chance to win, that’s what we’re gonna do. And so, that’s what I felt was gonna give us the best chance to win tonight’s game, so that’s why we did it.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
